The Bird and the Lion
by GreekPrincess143
Summary: Cato thinks he's dead after the mutts attack him, but the Capitol manages to bring him back to life. They try to send him to their allies, Itex, but there was a mistake, and he lands in Max's yard. Will Max and the Flock be able to help Cato heal or will he remain a half-sane, broken boy, scarred by his past? Read to find out!
1. Drama, Death, and other musings

**DISCLAIMER: I sadly do not own the Maximum Ride series or Hunger Games. If I did, Cato would have won and Ari would have lived. Suzanne Collins and James Patterson have the pleasure of owning both. All I own is the plot and any OCs I throw into the mix.**

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_**Cato POV:**_

When I volunteered for the 74th Hunger Games, I thought I would win. I really believed I would come home, bringing honor to my district. Why else would I have volunteered? I may be not be a genius, but I'm not entirely stupid.

But how could I possibly win? The 'star-crossed lovers' of District 12 were destined to win from the moment the boy confessed his love for that girl, the girl on fire. It was what the citizens of the Capitol wanted. The Gamemakers would never do anything to jeopardize the success of their precious games, so naturally, they went along with it. What was the life of one tribute, a mere boy from District 2, compared to the success of the Games? I was disposable.

I suppose that in the back of my mind, I knew this. How could I not? It was so blindingly obvious. But I still held on to that foolish hope of returning home a Victor. I could not accept my imminent death and keep my sanity. But maybe I wasn't completely sane anyway.

Something was always missing, be it love, pity, or comfort. But this time, it was my mind. I was not completely whole. I should have died. But I didn't. Death would have be a mercy. I didn't deserve any. I certainly never showed anyone else any.

All I knew was death. I knew a thousand and one ways to kill someone, and I used my knowledge. Maybe I deserved death. I had sent so many to theirs. But the death the Gamemakers gave me was beyond anything I could ever inflict. It was cruel, slow, and painful. Being ripped to shreds by mutts was not a good way to go.

But I didn't die. Well, maybe I did. I should have. Now I'm not completely whole. How could I be? I was torn apart, both emotional and physically. My mind was broken. But it maybe it already was, and it was only my will that broke that day.

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**_Max POV:_**

When we escaped the School, I thought life would be simpler. It's not. I now understand something normal teenage girls have known for years. Drama sucks.

Not only do I have to deal with whitecoats and their psychopathic experiments bent on destroying us, I have to deal with the members of the Flock.

Gazzy and Iggy seem intent on blowing up my stuff and the house, Nudge wants to use me as her living Barbie doll, Fang's moody, and Angel is trying to take over the Flock. Drama's the last thing I need. But it has a way of popping up when you least want or need it. I swear, if drama could talk, it would say, "There's Max. She doesn't need or want me right now. I think I'll go bug her."

One of these days, I'm going to snap. And then they'll be sorry that they ever annoyed Maximum Freaking Ride.


	2. First Meeting

**DISCLAIMER: I sadly do not own the Maximum Ride series or Hunger Games. If I did, Cato would have won and Ari would have lived. Suzanne Collins and James Patterson have the pleasure of owning both. All I own is the plot and any OCs I throw into the mix.**

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**_Cato POV:_**  
After the mutts attacked me, I woke up shackled to a hospital bed in a sterile white room. I knew instinctively I wasn't dead. If I was, I wouldn't be in this much pain. I struggled against my restraints. I wanted out. I wanted to be home, not here in some Capitol laboratory where they made the dead alive once more.

A doctor in a white coat came into the room. He held a syringe in one hand. I thrashed even more, dreading the thought of being sedated again. Sleep held no comfort for me anymore, only fear and pain. He stabbed me in the arm and pushed down on the top of the syringe. My eyes immediately drooped shut, and I lost myself to unconsciousness.

When I woke up, I was strapped into a cylinder not unlike what the Capitol used to get us to the arena. The glass slowly darkened, leaving me in the blackness. I fought and struggled, but I could not break free of my bonds. Panic filled my mind, until my only thought was of escape.

The pod started to move, slowly, like I was being transported elsewhere in the laboratory. Then it stopped abruptly, and I heard a muffled click. A countdown began, and I strained even more to escape. Then the pod rocketed away, and I fell unconscious from the G-force.

I awoke to the sensation of falling. My bonds had finally loosened, and I slipped them off. The pod slammed down, and I smashed into the side of it, cursing viciously. One side of the pod slid open smoothly, and sunlight flooded the pod. It burned my eyes after being in the dark for so long.

I cautiously pulled myself out of the pod and looked around. I didn't not recognize my surroundings. It did not match anything I had been taught about the other districts. I immediately thought of the arena. Had I been introduced into another Hunger Games? Was I really out that long?

But my fear subsided when I saw an oddly shaped building on top of a nearby hill. It looked like a house, but it was shaped like an E. The sound of laughter floated on the breeze to my ears. I grabbed a rock and made my way up the hill. What I saw made me gasp in wonder and fear for my life at the same time.

Several children were running around the house, clearly having fun. Each had a pair of wings attached to their back. They seemed so happy and harmless, but I knew it was an illusion. They had to be mutts.  
I debated leaving, but I knew the building probably held supplies I would need. I would have to fight the mutts to get to the supplies. I moved forward, but stepped on a twig. It snapped, sounding like a cannon in the silence. I froze, mentally cursing myself.

Only one of the mutts heard. It spun around, a blade in its hand, and eyed the place where I was hiding suspiciously. It looked like a human girl, apart from the wings protruding from her back. She was deceptively pretty, but I knew she was no innocent girl. She would rip me to shreds gladly.

I held my breath, hoping she would disregard the sound. After what seemed like an eternity, she slowly turned away, and I let out my breath in a sigh of relief. I crept up the hills, until I was right behind the mutt. I gripped the rock tightly, and then I pounced.

**_Max POV:_**  
The Flock and I were relaxing outside when I heard a twig snap. I spun around, my knife in my hand. I could see nothing out of the ordinary. I scanned the area, before turning away and concealing my knife.

The next thing I knew, I was tackled from behind. The momentum carried my attacker and me far, before I was landed on heavily. My attacker let out a pained grunt. It sounded male. I immediately thought of the Erasers. I rolled to the side, knocking my attacker off me. I leapt to my feet, my knife in my hand.

My attacker was a large, brutish-looking boy, but he didn't look like an Eraser. He didn't share their wolfishly lean build or their cold, black eyes. He was stocky and tall, with icy blue eyes. He sprung to his feet, a rock in his hand. He looked oddly wary of me. Most of my attackers are confident of their fighting skills until the end, but he seemed almost frightened.

"How did you find me, Eraser? Where are your buddies?" I demanded.

He looked confused. "You can talk."

I scowled, and countered venomously, "Of course I can talk. I'm a person, aren't I? I'm not a stupid _mutt_!"

"You are a mutt!" he insisted. "You're just something the Capitol created to kill me!"

I rolled my eyes. "If I wanted to kill you, you would already be dead. Now get out of here before I change my mind."

He looked even more confused. "You don't want to kill me?"

I snorted in disbelief. "Of course not! You're the one who attacked me!"

"I thought you were going to kill me!" he protested.

I gaped at him in astonishment. "I didn't do anything! I was just sitting there, minding my own business, and you tackled me!"

He had the good sense to look ashamed. "But you're a muttation. Isn't it your job to kill me?"

Fang cut in. "It's mutation, not muttation. Who the hell are you anyway?"

"Cato. And aren't you mutts? Created by the Capitol to kill tributes?" he asked.

Fang glared at him. "I don't know what you're babbling on about. You're the only mutt I see, _Eraser_!"

Cato glowered at Fang. "Watch your mouth. I don't know what an Eraser is, or what you are, but I'm all human."

Fang turned to me in confusion. "Max?"

I stared at Cato. "He's not an Eraser. He doesn't look anything like them. I don't know what he is."

"I'm human! You're the ones who aren't!" he protested.

Nudge cut in. "You're not an Eraser? So you didn't get experimented on? We did. That's why we have wings. Max gets grumpy sometimes, but she won't kill you. Probably. You did tackle her. Sometimes-"

Iggy cut her off by placing a hand over her mouth. She mumbled something, and he pulled his hand away, wiping it on his shirt. Cato glanced back at me. He looked totally confused. I felt a little bad for the big guy. He was out of his depth with Nudge.

"Don't worry," I hastened to assure him, "Nudge does that a lot."

"What _are_ you?" he marveled.

"Humans. With a little bird DNA. Hence the wings," I explained.

He didn't look convinced. "So you aren't like normal mutts, but how do I know you won't still kill me? This is the arena. I can't trust you."

Fang cut in again. "Buddy, I don't know what drugs you're on, but you should probably cut back. This isn't an arena. The closest arena is...I don't know how far exactly, but it's pretty far."

Angel tugged on my arm. "He's clean, Max. He doesn't want to harm us. He just needs some help."

Fang snorted, and muttered under his breath, "That's obvious."

I glared at him, and turned to Cato. "Come on then. We'll get you some food, and then you can be on your way."

He nodded and followed us up to the house, lagging behind warily. I lead the way to the kitchen, and he plopped down into a chair. The Flock crowded around him. The poor guy looked petrified. I would feel sorry for him, but he did tackle me.

"So..." Nudge said, and the interrogation began.


	3. Anger Issues

**DISCLAIMER: Sadly, I still don't own Maximum Ride or Hunger Games. Oh well.**

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**_Cato POV:_**

I was so confused. I had attacked what I thought was a mutt, and it had turned out to be a girl who thought I was the mutt! What the hell is an Eraser anyway? It didn't help in the slightest that the girl who I attacked was pretty, distractingly so. Every time I tried to explain myself, I got lost in her brown eyes. They were the color of chocolate, and they appeared to have flecks of gold in them. She had the face of an angel and the wings to match, but she fought like a demon.

I didn't like this place much, I finally decided. With winged people who fought like...well, Careers, and girls who were hypnotically beautiful, it was no place for me. District 2 was so much simpler. I was brought back to my present surrounding by yet another question from the talkative girl. I suppressed a growl and answered her, my patience running thin. Why wouldn't they just leave me alone?

The girl I had tackled finally interrupted. "Nudge, back off, would you? You're giving me a headache, and I'm not even listening."

Nudge huffed indignantly, but shut up. I suppressed a smirk. Finally, some silence. But it was not to be, as the older girl turned to me, a frown on her face. She crossed her arms over her chest and surveyed me in barely concealed distaste. I returned her look with a glare of my own. No little girl was going to get away with showing so little respect!

She broke the tense silence first. "What's your problem?"

I stood up, pushing my chair back forcefully. "You are! You're just a mutt, trying to kill me. Now answer my questions!"

She glared at me and took a step forward, uncomfortably close. "No! You don't tell me what to do, you stupid _mutt_!"

I snarled. "Oh, really? Do you have any idea who you're dealing with? Show some respect!"

One of the boys stepped forward, his fist clenched, but she waved him back and sneered, "All I see is a crazy mutt who forgot his orders. And you think you deserve respect? Ha! You ask if I know who I'm dealing with, but the real question is, do _you_? If you did, you wouldn't be so cocky. You would know I could snap your neck as easily as snapping a pencil. So I advise you to watch your step, _mutt_!"

I was taken aback for a moment, before I threw my head back and laughed, long and hard. This girl thought she could hurt me! I cut off my laughter abruptly and glared down at her. She stared back, unflinching, but I could see a flicker of unease cross her face before her face hardened. She showed so little respect, but she had spirit.

"And I would advise you to watch your mouth," I threatened in a low tone. "Next time, I won't be so forgiving."

I turned away from the little spitfire, but the next thing I knew, I was thrown to the floor, and there was a foot across my neck, cutting off my oxygen. My eyes followed it up, until my eyes locked with the girl's. She looked ready to kill. She leaned more of her weight onto my neck. I choked, but didn't let out a sound. I wouldn't give her the satisfaction. My vision turned hazy. I need oxygen. She removed her foot, and I gasped for air. She laughed mockingly, before turning away.

I saw red. Gathering my strength, I lifted up and slammed my entire weight into the back of her legs, sending her flying to the floor. The fight was on.


	4. Fight!

**DISCLAIMER: I still don't own Maximum Ride or Hunger Games.**

**WARNING: Epic fight scene ahead. Never written one before so it might suck.**

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**_Max POV:_**

The guy we found was turning out to be a real jerk. First, he tackles me and tries to kill me. Then, when we invite him into our home, he sasses me. No stuck-up mutt is going to be that obnoxious to me. So, yeah, I did knock him down, and I did cut off his oxygen supply for a little bit. But did he really have to react that badly? I did get off his neck, but I turned around, which was a stupid thing to do. I kinda deserved what happened next, but I'm not planning on letting anyone else know that.

The next thing I knew, he slammed his entire body into the back of my legs, sending me flying into the carpet. Naturally, my face hit first. My nose started gushing blood on impact. Furious, I attacked, and the fight was on.

He landed on top of me, but had rolled off into a crouch. I pushed myself up, spinning in mid-air to face him. He had a cocky smirk on his face, but it disappeared when I slammed my fist into his jaw with a satisfying crunch. His eyes narrowed, and he lunged at me.

This time, I was ready for him. I dodged, neatly sidestepping his lunge and sending him crashing into the wall. But his forearm slammed into my waist, pulling me down with him. I landed on top of him and immediately started punching at his spine. He hissed and flung me away. I landed against the couch roughly, but I was up in moments. He jumped up with a speed that was a contrast to his massive size. We circled each other warily, like 2 lions searching for a weakness in their opponent.

I threw a left jab at his face, hitting him squarely in the right eye. He countered with a solid punch to my jaw. I could taste blood. I hissed in pain, but kept circling him, waiting for an opportunity. He gave me one, throwing a right hook to my head. I dodged, but grabbed his arm, twisting it to an unnatural angle. He grunted in pain, but managed to swing his trapped arm around, effectively knocking me off. I cursed under my breath. He was so strong! I would never win fighting like this. So I decided to employ some...less than fair...techniques.

I kicked him in the crotch viciously, sending him to his knees in pain. But he was soon on his feet, glaring at me in murderous rage. I grabbed the closest thing in reach, a lamp, and smashed it over his head. It opened a few cuts on his forehead, but he shook it off, beads of blood coursing down his face in rivulets of crimson.

Enraged, he lifted me up by the neck and slammed me into the wall. His fingers tightened their grip on my neck. I pried at his fingers to no avail. They did not budge. In desperation, I dug my nails into his skin, drawing blood. I could not breathe, and my vision blurred.

"Enough!" a feminine voice shouted imperiously. "Release her, Cato."

He scowled, but loosened his grip. I fell to the floor, gasping for breath. We both looked to the source of my savior. Angel stood there, her hands on her hips and a furious expression on her face.


	5. Angel

**DISCLAIMER-I don't own Hunger Games or Maximum Ride.**

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**_Cato POV:_**

My fingers relinquished their hold on the girl's neck of their own accord. I was still furious. If it had been up to me, that annoying girl would be dead on the floor. But, of course, I didn't get a say in what happened. I was commanded to release her. I didn't want to, but the voice seemed to take control of my body, making me obey.

She fell to the floor, gasping for breath. I felt a twinge of regret for hurting her, but it soon passed. I looked up to see a tiny, angelic-looking girl stood with her hands on her hips and her face twisted into a scowl. She appeared to only be about 7 or 8 years old, with curly blond hair and bright blue eyes. Pure white wings protruded from her back.

"Enough, Cato," she repeated in a slightly softer voice. "We are not your enemies."

I glared at her. "So what are you then?"

"Your allies, if you wish," she offered. "Our friendship is not something freely given, and it is not wise to be our enemy."

I snorted. "Something tells me that when you say 'our', you really mean 'my'. So what makes you so special?"

The girl I attacked snickered from her place on the floor. I glanced down. She had pushed herself up into a sitting position and was looking at the little girl with an odd expression on her face.

The little girl chuckled drily. "What makes me special? Everything. I am Angel, and I have great power."

I snorted yet again. "So why am I not impressed? How old are you, 6? No 6 year old kid has _great power_."

Angel frowned. "I am 7, not 6. And I am powerful. I can fly. I can read and manipulate minds. I can take over your body and make it do my will. What is that, if not great power?"

"It's nothing but a party trick. You weren't born powerful, you got all your so-called _greatness_ from scientists. That's not true power," I said, staring her down. "And from what I see here, you're not even the leader of your little group."

Angel's face twitched. I had brought a sensitive issue into the mix, and she didn't like it. I smirked, savoring the feeling of power. I was in control of the situation.

"At least I'm not crazy," she hissed viciously.

And just like that, my control over the situation deteriorated. I recoiled, shocked. She had been in my head. She knew everything, my secrets, my fears, everything that I had hidden from the rest of the world. She knew, and she tore me down. My greatest fear, that I would be like the man who called himself my father, had been brought to light and acknowledged.

The girl on the floor laughed harshly. "Sure you're not."

Angel's eyes narrowed. "Shut up, Max."

"Make me," she countered.

Angel made as if she was going to attack, but one of the boys interfered. He had dark, shaggy hair and olive-toned skin, with enormous black wings. He stood in front of Angel, blocking her way.

"Enough, Angel," he said in a low voice. "Calm down."

Angel took a deep breath and smiled innocently. "Okay, Fang."

Fang turned and extended a hand to Max. She took it, and he pulled her to her feet. Max turned to me and stuck out her hand.

"No hard feeling? It's been a while since I've fought someone as good as you."

I shook her hand warily. "No hard feelings."

She smiled. "Cool. We've never been properly introduced. I'm Maximum Ride, but you can call me Max."

"I'm Cato."

"This is Nudge, Iggy, Gazzy, and you already met Angel and Fang," Max said, pointed as she said each name.

They each waved a hand at me, and received a nod in return. I didn't trust any of them. The dark-skinned girl, Nudge, who reminded me of the district 11 girl, looked like she was nothing more than a younger version of Glimmer. If anything, she looked more ditsy than Glimmer ever was, if that's possible. The youngest boy, Gazzy, despite his blond hair, blue eyes, and chubby cheeks, looked like Angel and I immediately distrusted him. They seemed to be related, but she seemed to be younger and more devious. But his eyes glinted mischievously, and I made a mental note to watch out for any pranks he might pull. The older boy, Iggy had spiky red hair and pale eyes. I realized with a shock that he was blind. Why would any scientist waste their time experimenting on a blind individual? The oldest boy, Fang, seemed to hate me already, and I returned the sentiment. Angel seemed like the most deceiving and devious of the lot. I made a mental note to not trust her. She was the most dangerous out of the group.

Only Max seemed like someone I would trust. She clearly was in charge, and she seemed to have some sort of rivalry with Angel. She could fight too. She would make a good Career, I mused idly. She could easily be a Victor. But not if she was faced with someone like me, I silently chuckled as I reflected on our fight. She was a good fighter, but not an inner-district Career type of fighter. She didn't have the mindset of kill or be killed. That mindset was the reason I volunteered. Like a lion eager to kill, I had thrown myself into the arena, and look where it got me. I was ripped apart by mutts and banished to an unknown location. I had been trained to be a Victor, not for this. If I was like a lion, then this sure as hell wasn't the savannah.

**_Max POV:_**

Although I was grateful Angel stopped Cato before he killed me, I didn't appreciate her attempts to deceive him into thinking she was an all-powerful leader. She might be a mind reading, flying 7 year old, but she is also 7 years old. She's just a kid. She can't handle everything the world could and would throw at her. She needs to be protected, at least until she's old enough to handle it. That's my job, what I'm there for. I dread the day when she finally can cope on her own. I can barely trust her now, when she needs me. What happens when she doesn't, when I'm disposable? Not something I want to worry about, especially with my baby. She hasn't been my baby for a while though. I don't think I noticed when she grew up, but now it's obvious. She grew up too fast. No 7 year old should have to deal with anything we've gone through. It's no wonder Angel's messed up, always hiding the truth or bluffing. Today was a prime example of Angel's bluffing.

Interestingly enough, Cato called her on her bluff. Very few people do, even if they see it, because they're intimidated by her. Not only did he see it, he called her out on it. I didn't particularly trust him, but I had to admit he was pretty confident. I didn't like him that much either, but he was growing on me. Anyone who can make Angel lose her cool is alright by me. But Angel's retort about her not being crazy seemed to rattle him, much more than it would have rattled me. Sure, it would have pissed me off, but he seemed more horrified than angry. There was clearly a story to it, but I didn't know him well enough to ask. It was none of my business anyway. A guy's thoughts are his own, or they should be. Angel's talent was hell on privacy.

I cleared my mind and focused on our visitor. After I butted in, he had seemed grateful and had recovered his confidence. I quickly introduced him to the others, and they all greeted him with various levels of warmth. In return, they got a brisk nod.

"So," I said, breaking the silence. "I'll give you a tour of the house."

Cato nodded and followed me down the hall. I paused outside of Iggy and Gazzy's rooms. They were directly opposite each other and far away from everyone else's rooms, so they could hang out without disturbing the rest of us.

"This is Gazzy's room and this is Iggy's. If I were you, I would steer clear of here. They're always making...stuff, and it gets pretty loud. And sometimes, stuff gets blown up. Just saying," I warned him.

He looked startled, but nodded. I could tell he didn't comprehend how bad Iggy and Gazzy were. He would find out soon enough. I led him down the hall, pointing out the others' rooms as well as my own. Then I paused before the last door in the hallway. I pushed open the door gently. It swung open and hit the wall with a thud.

"You can sleep here. It belonged to...a friend, who won't be needed it. So it's yours," I explained.

I could feel my face twisting into a frown at the thought of Jeb. He didn't deserve a room in this house. He didn't deserve anything. I don't care if he helped us. He betrayed us too. The others forgot, but I didn't. He was a traitor. We couldn't trust him. Besides, he wouldn't be needing this room. We hadn't seen him in a while, and Cato needed it more than Jeb did.

Cato nodded, breaking me out of my thoughts. "Thank you."

I shrugged. "It's okay. I'll go so you can...do whatever."

I turned and walked away, leaving him to his thoughts. We both had a lot to think about.


End file.
